What stands out worked out from the figures below

Belmont has the most kids (18.4% under 18).

Meredith has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.7%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Belmont	Meredith
People
Population	7,392Highest	6,758Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+6.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	47.2±3.5Lowest 9% above NH	55.5±3.7Highest 28% above NH
Kids under 18	18.4%±3.7Highest NH: 18.2%	12.6%±3.3Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Belmont and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±4.1Lowest NH: 20.1%	34.2%±5Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	45.9%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.8Highest NH: 6%	2.9%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%
	Belmont and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,063±$21kLowest 30% below NH	$87,019±$19kHighest 12% below NH
	Meredith and Belmont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$316,300±$31kLowest 21% below NH	$480,100±$48kHighest 19% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$996±$129Lowest 33% below NH	$1,149±$304Highest 23% below NH
	Meredith and Belmont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,585Highest 16% below NH	$5,006Lowest 25% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.8%±10.9Lowest NH: 48.2%	48.5%±9.2Highest NH: 48.2%
	Meredith and Belmont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.3%Highest NH: 7.2%	7.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	75.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 4 yrs newer than NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below NH	26 minHighest about the NH average
Work from home	9.6%±3.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	23.7%±4.9Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#92 of 120 in NH	#62 of 120 in NH
School district	Shaker Regional School District	Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District
High school in town	Belmont High School	Inter-Lakes High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Highest	11.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.